If you weren’t sure if you were going to have a job next year, would that cause you to lose focus from time to time? The Orioles have nine pending free agents at the end of this year- Bud Norris, Wei-Yin Chen, Darren O’Day, Tommy Hunter, Wesley Wright, Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, Steve Pearce, and Delmon Young. It’s been a mixed bag of results for these guys.
Wieters hasn’t played yet this year and Wright appeared in two games before heading to the DL.
Davis stated in March that he was waiting to see what the front office did before he signed a contract. That raised a red flag. Before the season began, he was already thinking about next season. He’s hitting .227/12/31 after a recent hot streak, but is tied for the MLB lead with 70 strikeouts.
For the most part, Hunter, O ’Day and Young have been solid this year. However, Young just hit his first two home runs of the season Sunday while hitting in the middle of the line-up. He’s also played in the field more than I think the Orioles had originally planned, though his MLB-leading eight outfield assists are a nice touch.
The Orioles were relying on Pearce to put up similar numbers to those he did last year. He had a career year last year but his numbers have fallen drastically this year, to just .188/6/19.
Norris has been abysmal this season. He’s 1-4 with a 9.88 ERA. He’s currently recovering from bronchitis and had his rehab start at AAA Norfolk rained out last night.
Out of all the pending free agents, Chen has been the best. His record of 1-4 with a 3.21 ERA isn’t indicative of how well he’s pitched.
If the Orioles are going to make the playoffs these guys are going to have to step up.
